GrapevineThe THE PARISH MAGAZINE OF ST LAURENCE CHURCH ALVECHURCH AUGUST 2017 Online at www.alvechurch-stlaurence.org/monthly-magazine Page 1 St Laurence Church Alvechurch SUNDAY SERVICES 8.00am Holy Communion Book of Common Prayer Communion Service, will take place on the 2nd and 4th Sun- days of the month. On the other Sundays there will be an 8.00am Book of Common Prayer Communion Service at St Leonard’s in Beoley 9.30am Family Service with Holy Communion on the 1st Sunday and Baptisms on the 4th Sunday 11.15am Parish Eucharist 6.00pm Evensong On the 4th Sunday of the month at 6pm there will be Sacred Space, a quieter more reflective space for worship On the 2nd Sunday of the month (4th in January), there will be a United Service (Churches Together in Alvechurch and Rowney Green), rotating between Alvechurch Baptist Church, St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Rowney Green Shared Church and ourselves At Rowney Green Shared Church 9.30am Methodist/Anglican Service except 4th Sunday “All Age Worship” at 3.30 pm DAILY SERVICE 9.00am Monday to Friday in St Laurence Church ORGANISATIONS Sunday Club Sundays during term time 9.30am Church & Ark (445 1854) Choir Thursdays at 7.45pm in Church (445 3569) Bellringers Sundays at 10.45am Tuesday Practice at 8.00pm (01527 64077) Women’s Fellowship 4th Wednesday of the month at 2.00pm in Tanyard Lane Community Centre (445 2125) Mum’s the Word Thursdays at 9.30am in The Ark (07792535661) Tiny Tots Service 10.15am 1st Thursday of the month Ark Café Thursdays during term time at 12.15pm (447 7017) Home Group Thursdays, 7.30pm at the Coach House (445 2547) THE ARK Enquiries to Ian Price 0121 447 7955 Registered as a Charity in England and Wales: Charity Number 1131783 Page 2 Sue Phillips writes.. know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10). He describes a situation where there is a lot going on and God is saying to his people stop striving and focus on who I am. Jesus too recommended stillness as the best Have you ever participated in the National course of action in a time of turbulence. Butterfly count? Once again this year people across the country have been I’ve recently been reminded of the Spiritual invited to spend 15 minutes sitting in a Exercises advocated by Ignatius of Loyola, sunny spot in a field, a park or a garden, the founder of the Jesuits back in the counting butterflies. It’s a really lovely thing sixteenth century. One practise in particular to do, though identifying them on the chart has caught my attention, it’s very intuitive provided is a bit tricky as they don’t always so quite easy to adopt, and all you need is stay still for long enough! 15 minutes. The idea is that at the end of a day you spend 15 minutes reviewing the Fifteen minutes being engrossed in day’s events, (he calls it a ‘review of beautiful transient creatures, what’s not to consciousness’). You start with a prayer to like? And the feel-good factor that comes help focus as you share the review with when you log your count online, making God. As your mind drifts over the day you your contribution to an understanding of look for things for which you are grateful, the health of our natural environment, is on a trying day this might be something pretty good too. Last year they reckon over very small, like the sight of a flower or the 36,000 people got involved, spotting almost one smile amongst many frowns. Secondly 400,000 butterflies and day flying moths. you look at your feelings recalling how your mood fluctuated throughout the day, I found it interesting to read the comments holding each experience before God in a of participants: how enjoyable it was; how non-judgemental way sharing difficult good to do as a family, and the sense of moments or moments of joy with Jesus as satisfaction expressed by one respondent: you work your way through the day. Then ‘it’s a wonderful idea and it gets me out the final stage is to look briefly at the day into nature and feeling that I am playing a ahead inviting God to be part of it with you. small part in helping our world’ Fifteen minutes of refreshment for the soul. This all got me thinking about the benefits Being still and knowing that God is there. of spending short amounts of time entirely Try it! focussed on one thing. Some people might call this meditation. Christian mediation has And have a go at counting butterflies, the been practised for centuries using short count closes on 6th August . You can log on phrases from the Bible or quotations from at www.bigbutterflycount.org to register. Christian writers, and keeping them in focus for selected periods of time, often by repetition. The psalmist says ‘Be still and Page 3 THOMAS BROTHERS Funeral Directors Prepayment Plan, Private Chapels, "Woodland Burial" 24 hour Personal Service A family-owned funeral directors offering a friendly, dignified service, paying attention to detail. 12ATel: Red01527 Lion 547777 Street Alvechurch494 Evesham B48 Road 7LF Crabb0121s Cross, 445 3422Redditch S.A.I.F.S.A.I.F. Diocesan Peru Disaster Appeal Richard Bubbers writes… Thank you to those who contributed recently to the Diocesan Peru Disaster Appeal, following the crisis of severe flooding caused by the heavy rains brought about All Work by El Niño. The flooding and landslides have led to some is to the Highest very serious effects, and the Anglican Diocese of Peru is Standard seeking to provide help in the best way it can to some of those affected. Showroom and Workshop 338 Alcester Road, Burcot, We have been able to send £420 to help in this work. Bromsgrove B60 1BH Thank you. Tel: (01527) 876200 07710976744 Page 4 "Rectory Cottage Bed and Breakfast" Old Rectory Lane, Alvechurch Historical Society Alvechurch Hilary Taylor writes... offers warm and welcoming accommodation, New season approaches… with super breakfasts and attractive, spacious bedrooms. The new season of monthly talks will begin on Monday 4th September. Our guest speaker is Joe Hawkins, Head of Landscape at Hagley Park. Joe will make a presentation about “The past, present and future of Hagley Park”. Among the most famous of all eighteenth century landscapes, George Lyttelton’s Park at Hagley was in its day viewed with great acclaim by some of the century’s most enlightened minds. Today it is listed as an English Contact Celia on Heritage Grade-1 registered Park, an award which deems 0121 445 4824, or visit our website it of exceptional national interest. www. rectorycottage-alvechurch.co.uk The season continues with two open days, on Saturdays 9th and 16th September. This year’s subject is “The streets WHERE NEXT of Alvechurch”. At a time when new sites for housing are ASSOCIATION being sought across the Bromsgrove area, we will be looking back to find the origins of some of our local street Garden Centre names. Old photographs and items of local historical Opening hours interest will also be on display. Visitors are welcome to Mon-Fri 9 to 5, Sat 10 to 4 the Alvechurch Historical Society Hut from 2.30pm - Woodwork Packing / assembly 4.30pm on either afternoon. Tea, coffee and biscuits will Landscaping / maintenance be available. Support your local cha rity which offers peop le with special needs the opportunity to nd The second talk of the season will be on Monday 2 experience the real wo rld of wo rk. October. Wellesbourne Close Easemore Road, Redditch Just a few reminders… B98 8ER Meanwhile members have two day trips booked. On 01527 69955 Tuesday 25th July to Leicester and the Richard III museum, and on Wednesday 16th August to Attingham Park, a National Trust property in Shropshire. The coach pick-up time for both days is 9.30am (prompt) at The Red Lion. Tuesday 1st August, at 10am, is our annual hut-cleaning day, in preparation for the two open days in September. Volunteers welcome! Newcomers welcome… Our talks are held on the first Monday of the month, at 7.45pm, in the museum on School Lane. Parking is available behind the Catholic Church, with their kind permission. New faces are always welcome, just come along, or contact our chairman, Anne Humphries on 0121 445 5955. Page 5 The Boys2Men project in Redditch Sam Setchell (Diocese Communications Officer) writes… Boys2Men is a registered charity working through schools in Redditch. It originally started as part of Christ Church Community Project (in association with Worcestershire YMCA), but is now a standalone project in its 9th year. Boys2Men traditionally works with 11 – 14 year old boys and their Dads or father figures. There are five evening sessions and two camping weekends throughout the summer where Dads spend time with their boys, undertaking teambuilding challenges. The project has also now started ‘Lads and Dads’ working with 7 and 8 year old boys. Together with their father figure, they spend five evening sessions together junk modelling and playing games. Items built include a cardboard racing car, a boat made from plastic spoons and a catapult from lolly sticks! The course is finished with a Saturday morning at Arrow Valley Park doing orienteering and playing frizbee golf. Project Leader, Phil Williams said: “Both our programmes are based around a line in Malachi: ‘He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents’.